CAST Elects New Leadership to Address Future of Semiconductor Test

SAN JOSE, Calif. — November 26, 2012 — The Collaborative Alliance for Semiconductor Test (CAST), a SEMI special interest group, has elected new leadership to advance their mission to develop, accelerate and support industry-wide advances in semiconductor test. Elected by a unanimous vote of the CAST Steering Committee was Chris Portelli Hale, Manufacturing Test director at STMicroelectronics, as CAST chair, and Octavio Martínez, senior director of Engineering, Qualcomm, as vice chair.

“Important and exciting developments are occurring in semiconductor test — many of them identified and inspired by the International Technology Roadmap for Semiconductors,” said Chris Portelli. “My objective is to help CAST focus on areas that today are identified by the ITRS as ‘challenges’ for which no known solution is existing or for which solutions are desirable. I see the CAST role as helping get the technical and industry leaders together to discuss and prioritize common needs, investigate options, define guidelines leading to standards, and undertake and sponsor pre-competitive initiatives.”

CAST was formed in 2008 by semiconductor device makers and test industry suppliers to engage in and resolve common industry issues related to higher test equipment utilization, lower costs, and greater return on investment. CAST members include a range of semiconductor industry leaders from fabless semiconductor companies, automated test equipment (ATE) companies, integrated device manufacturers (IDMs) and outsourced semiconductor assembly and test (OSAT) companies. In 2009, CAST became a SEMI Special Interest Group to develop, coordinate and direct all SEMI services for the semiconductor test community.

SEMI is the global industry association serving the nano- and microelectronics manufacturing supply chains. Our 2,000 member companies are the engine of the future, enabling smarter, faster and more economical products that improve our lives. Since 1970, SEMI has been committed to helping members grow more profitably, create new markets and meet common industry challenges. SEMI maintains offices in Beijing, Bengaluru, Berlin, Brussels, Grenoble, Hsinchu, Moscow, San Jose, Seoul, Shanghai, Singapore, Tokyo, and Washington, D.C. For more information on SEMI, visit www.semi.org.